Shaft, impeller and bowl assembly for vertical turbine pumps



Oct. 7, 1958 SHAFT, IMPELLER AND BOWL. ASSEMBLY FOR VERTICAL TURBINE PUMPS Filed Jan. 19, 1956 L. J. HAlGHT ET AL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 If I 37 I 3 27 L? i ll 6 I INVENTORS.

40 LAURENCE .1. HA/GHT PERRY H. BROWN Oct. 7, 1958 L. J. HAlGHT ETAL 2,854,926

BOWL AS BLY SHA IMPELLER AND VERTICAL TURBINE PUM Filed Jan. 19, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. LAURENCE J. HAIGHT PERRY H. BROWN lffornea/ Oct. 7, 1958 J. HAIGHT ETAL 2,854,926

SHAFT, IMPELLER AND BOWL. ASSEMBLY 7 FOR VERTICAL TURBINE PUMPS Filed Jan. 19, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 2 33 I .EEEEEE 29 LAURENCE J #2752? FERRY H. 5/?0W/V United States Patent Ofi lice SHAFT, IMPELLER AND BOWL ASSEMBLY FOR VERTICAL TURBINE PUMPS Laurence J. Haight, La Habra, and Perry H. Brown, Sierra Madre, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company Application January 19, 1956, Serial No. 560,130

12 Claims. (Cl. 103-102) This invention relates to turbine pumps and relates in particular to vertical turbine pumps of multiple stage type such as employed for raising a liquid substance from a low level to a higher one.

It is an object of the invention to provide a multi-stage turbine pump wherein the impellers and pump bowls may be quickly removed from the pump shaft. It is a common practice to assemble the pump bowls and impellers consecutively upon the pump shaft, and to consecutively secure the pump bowls together by use of separate sets of cap screws or bolts for connecting the adjacent bowl flanges. In disassembling the pump unit of this character it is necessary to disconnect each bowl from the one adjacent thereto by removing the cap screws or bolts which serve as the connecting means between the consecutive bowls.

In the present invention a single set of tie rods secures the entire bowl assembly together as an operating unit.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a turbine pump in which the impellers are secured in operative relation on the pump shaft without the use of tapered seats from which the impeller hubs must be driven in order to remove the impellers from the shaft, and without use of annular shoulders on the shaft. The invention is especially adapted for use with liquid substances of corrosive and/or poisonous character. By use of the invention, the pump impellers and bowls may be removed from the shaft for the purpose of cleaning, inspection or repair without necessity for manual contact with the parts of the pump assembly, thereby minimizing danger to the workmen performing the operation of disassembling the components of a pump of this character. 9

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pump of the character described wherein that portion of the pump shaft which extends through the bowl assembly has thereon an involute spline, wherein the bores of the impellers are internally splined so that they may he slid into their operative positions on the shaft from the end thereof, and wherein the impellers are held on the pump shaft in working relation to the impeller chambers of the pump bowls by sleeves which are likewise internally splined to cooperate with the spline of the shaft, these sleeves therefore rotating with the shaft and forming journals which rotate in bearings carried within the pump and inlet bowls of the pump assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pump assembly of the character described herein wherein'the sleeves which serve as bearing elements and also as means for spacing the impellers upon the shaft, are maintained in concentric relation to the shaft by means of interengagement with the impellers which are in turn concentrically connected to the impeller shaft.

Further objects and advantages of the invention may be brought out in the following part of the specification wherein the explanation of some small details has been for the purpose of competence of disclosure, without the intention, however, of limiting the scope of the invention which is set forth in the accompanying claims.

,of this impeller 26 within its impeller .chamber.

2,854,926 Patented Oct. 7, 1958 Referring to the accompanying drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

Fig. 1 is a partly sectioned elevational view of a turbine pump including the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken as indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken as indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an alternative form of invention.

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken substantially as indicated by the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. I

As shown in Fig. 1 the pump includes bowls 10, which may be identical as to size and shape although their internal configuration and passages may differ. Each bowl 10 has at its upper end a radially projecting flange 11, and outer wall 12 and a downwardly projecting wall or flange 13 defining in the lower part of the bowl 10 an impeller chamber 14. An inner body 15, including a tubular bearing 16, is supported within the outer wall 12 by vanes 17 defining diffuser passages 18.

At the upper end of the bowl assembly there is a plate or flange 19 which engages the upper flange 11 of the upper bowl, cooperative annular shoulders 20 effecting centralization of the flange 19 with the adjacent flange 11. At the lower end of the bowl assembly there is an inlet fitting 21 having at its upper end a flange 22 which engages the annular lip or flange 13 of the lower bowl 10 of the bowl assembly. This inlet fitting 21 has inlet passages 23, the upper ends 24 of which communicate with the annular inlet opening 25 of the pump impeller 26 operating in the impeller chamber 14 of the lowermost bowl 10. The inlet fitting 21 supports a replaceable sealing ring 27 in a position surrounding the inlet portion of the impeller 26. A similar impeller 26 is located in each of the impeller chambers 14 and sealing rings 27 are arranged in surrounding relation to their inlet ends.

The bowls 10 and the members 19 and 21 are secured together in operative relation by means extending from end-to-end of the bowl assembly, consisting of tie rods or bolts 28 which extend through openings 29 and 30 formed in lugs 31 and 32 respectively projecting radially from the outlet fitting or flange 19 and the inlet fitting 21. The tie rods 28 are shown with heads 33 on their upper ends and nuts 34 threaded onto their lower ends and adapted to be tightened against the lugs 32 to place the tie rods 28 in tension and clamp the component parts of the pump assembly tightly together in operative relation.

An outlet member 36 extends upwardly from the flange 19, and a pump shaft 37 extends down through the member 36 from suitable supporting and driving means, not shown. The lower part 38 of the shaft 37 extends through the bowls 10., There is a shoulder 39 on the shaft 37 contiguous to the upper end of the upper bowl 10, and downwardly from this shoulder 39 to the lower threaded extremity 40 of the shaft portion 38, a multiple spline 41 is extended, this spline comprising as shown in Fig. 3, as plurality of involute ribs or teeth 42 and intervening grooves 43. Each impeller 26 has a bore 44 splined to cooperate with the spline 41 of the pump shaft. The impellers 26 are positioned along the shaft part 33 by sleeves 45 having splined bores 46 to cooperate with the spline 41 of the shaft part 38. The sleeves 45 also serve as journals for the shaft part 38. The lowermost sleeve 45 turns within a bearing 47 formed in the inlet fitting 21, and the remaining sleeves 45 extend through and are turnable within the bearings 16 of the bowls 10. The uppermost sleeve 45 engages the shoulder 39 of the shaft 37 and acts as a spacer which engages the upper end of the uppermost impeller 26, thereby determining the position The remaining sleeves 45 act in a similar manner as spacers for the impellers 26 and a nut 48, threaded onto the lower extremity 40 of the shaft part 38, engages the lower end of. the lowermost sleeve 45 and clamps the entire assembly of sleeves 45 and impellers 26 on the shaft part 38. Disassembly of the bowl assembly shown in Fig. 1 requires only the removal of the nuts 34 and 48 from the tie rods 28 and the shaft part 38, whereupon the inlet member 21, the bowls 10, and the impellers 26 and sleeves 45 contained therein may be slid off the end of the shaft part 38 and separated without the necessity of removing any additional nuts or screws. It will be understood that the sleeves 45 need not be internally splined, at least through the entire lengths thereof. The sleeves 45 may have short splines within the ends thereof, or they may be entirely without internal splines, but with bores of such diameter that they may be slid over the splines which are formed on the exterior of the shaft part 38.

In the form of invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a shaft 50 is provided which does not have splines extending full length thereof but wherein the means for connecting pump impellers 51 to the shaft 56) are located in the positions occupied by the hubs 52 of the impellers 51. The impellers 51 are spaced along the shaft 50 by sleeves 53, 54 and 55, and the driving connection between the shaft 50 and the impellers is located in the bores of the impeller hubs 52. These drive connections are short external spline sections 56 having ribs or splines 57 which are shorter than the hubs 52 of the impellers 51 and which engage internal splines 58 in the bores of the impeller hubs 52.

The sleeves 53 and 54 have bores 59 slightly larger in diameter than the spline section 56 so that the sleeves 53 and 54 will slide over the spline section 56 to their operative positions on the shaft 50. In the assembly there is one upper sleeve 53 and one lower sleeve 55. There may be one or more intermediate sleeves 54 depending on the number of impellers and bowls in the pump assembly. Since the lower sleeve 55 does not have to pass over a spline section 56, it may be of smaller internal diameter than the sleeves 53 and 54. Its bore may be of such diameter that it may be a close sliding fit on the lower end portion 60 of the shaft 50.

The sleeves 53 and 54, although of larger internal diameter, are held in concentric relation to the shaft 50 by means of interengagement with the hubs 52 of the impellers 51. The upper and lower ends of the hubs 52 are provided with concentric counterbores 61 and 62 to receive the adjacent ends of spacer sleeves. For example, the upper end of the sleeve 54 is received by the lower counterbore 62 of the uppermost impeller 51, and the lower end of the sleeve 54 is received by the upper counterbore 61 of the lower impeller 51 of the assembly. The uppermost sleeve 53 is maintained centralized on the shaft 50 by the extension of its lower end into the upper counterbore 61 of the upper impeller 51 and by the engagement of its upper end 63 with a collar 64 on the shaft and having an external diameter which is a close fit within the upper end 63 of the upper sleeve 53.

In all other respects, the pump assembly shown in Fig. 4 is the same as that of Fig. 1, and therefore those parts of Fig. 4 which are similar to parts shown in Fig. l are indicated by the same numerals.

We claim:

1. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly, said shaft having a multiple spline extending from a location on said shaft contiguous to said shoulder to the other end thereof; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate with said spline thereon, and sleeves slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate therewith, said sleeves acting as spacers to position said impellers on said shaft; releasable securing means at the rear end of said shaft for holding said impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft; and securing means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from end to end thereof acting in tension to apply axial force to clamp the pump bowls together, said securing means being releasable so that said assembly of pump bowls and said impeller and sleeve assembly may be readily removed from said shaft and separated.

2. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly, said shaft having a multiple spline extending from a location on said shaft contiguous to said shoulder to the other end thereof; pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate with said spline thereon; sleeves slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate therewith, said sleeves acting as spacers to position said impellers on said shaft; a nut on the other end of said shaft for forcing said sleeves and said impellers toward said shoulder, thereby clamping said sleeves and impellers together; and tension means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from end to end thereof for applying axial force to clamp the pump bowls together.

3. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation, said bowls having tubular bearings therein; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly, said shaft having a multiple spline extending from a location on said shaft contiguous to said shoulder to the other end thereof; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate with said spline thereon, and sleeves slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate therewith, said sleeves acting as journals cooperating with the tubular bearings of said pump bowls and as spacers to position said impellers on said shaft; securing means comprising a nut on the other end of said shaft for forcing said sleeves and said impellers toward said shoulder, thereby clamping said sleeves and impellers together; and tension securing means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from end to end thereof for applying axial force to clamp the pump bowls together, said securing means being releasable so that said assembly of pump bowls and said impeller and sleeve assembly may be readily removed from said shaft and separated.

4. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation; inlet and outlet fittings arranged at the opposite ends of said assembly of pump bowls; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly, said shaft having a multiple spline extending from a location on said shaft contiguous to said shoulder to the other end thereof; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate with said spline thereon, sleeves slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate therewith, said sleeves acting as spacers to position said impellers on said shaft; securing means at the rear end of said shaft for clamping said sleeves and impellers on said shaft; and securing means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from one of said fittings to the other for applying-axial force to clamp the pump bowls together, said securing means both being releasable so that said pump bowls, said impellers and said sleeves may be readily removed from said, shaft and separated.

5. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation, said bowls having tubular bearings therein; inlet and outlet fittings arranged at the opposite ends of said assembly of pump bowls; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly, said shaft having a multiple spline extending from a location on said shaft contiguous to said shoulder to the other end thereof; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate with said spline thereon, sleeves slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate therewith, said sleeves acting as journals cooperating with the tubular bearings of said pump bowls and as spacers to position said impellers on said shaft; securing means comprising a nut on the other end of said shaft for forcing said sleeves and said impellers toward said shoulder, thereby clamping said sleeves and impellers together; and tension securing means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from one of said fittings to the other for applying axial force to clamp the pump bowls together, said securing means both being releasable so that said pump bowls, said impellersand said sleeves may be readily removed from said shaft and separated.

6. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation, said bowls having tubular bearings therein; inlet and outlet fittings arranged at the opposite ends of said assembly of pump bowls and having radial lugs extending therefrom; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly, said shaft having a multiple spline extending from a location on said shaft contiguous to said shoulder to the other end thereof; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate with said spline thereon, sleeves slidable on said shaft and having splined bores to cooperate therewith, said sleeves acting as journals cooperating with the tubular bearings of said pump bowls and as spacers to position said impellers on said shaft; a nut on the other end of said shaft for forcing said sleeves and said impellers'toward said shoulder, thereby clamping said sleeves and impellers together; tie bars connecting said lugs and extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from one of said fittings to the other for applying axial force to clamp the pump bowls together, said tie bars having nuts on the end thereof said nuts being removable so that said impellers, said sleeves and said pump bowls may be slid off said shaft.

7. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation; inlet and outlet fittings arranged at the opposite ends of said assembly of pump bowls; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable onto said shaft and having splined bores there being separate sections of splines on said shaft for engagement with said splined bores of said impellers, and sleeves slidable on said shaft and over the said splines thereon to their operative positions on said shaft, for spacing said impellers along said shaft, the foremost of said sleeves engaging said shoulder contiguous to the front end of said shaft and engaging the end of the hub of the impeller adjacent the front end of said assembly; securing means on the rear end of said shaft cooperating with said shoulder to clamp said sleeves and impellers in end to end relation; and securing means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from one of said fittings to the other for applying axial force to clamp said pump bowls together, said securing means being releasable so that said assembly of pump bowls and said impeller and sleeve assembly may be readily removed from said shaft and separated.

8. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation; inlet and outlet fittings arranged at the opposite ends of said assembly of pump bowls; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly; an impeller and sleeve assemblyon said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable onto said shaft and having splined bores there being splines on said shaft for engagement with said splined bores of said impellers, sleeves slidable on said shaft and over the said splines thereon to their operative positions on said shaft, for spacing said impellers along said shaft, the foremost of said sleeves engaging said shoulder contiguous to the front end of said shaft and engaging the end of the hub of the impeller adjacent the front end of said assembly, and means for holding said sleeves concentric to said shaft, comprising means of interengagement between the hubs of said impellers and the ends of the sleeves in engagement therewith; securing means on the rear end of said shaft cooperating with said shoulder to clamp said sleeves and impellers in end to end relation; and securing means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from one of said fittings to the other for applying axial force to clamp said pump bowls together, said securing means being releasable so that said assembly of pump bowls and said impeller and sleeve assembly may be readily removed from said shaft and separated.

9. A turbine pump as defined in claim 8 wherein said means of interengagement between said impeller hubs and the ends of said sleeves comprise counterbores in the opposite ends of said hubs adapted to receive the contiguous ends of the sleeves adjacent to said hubs.

10. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation; inlet and outlet fittings arranged at the opposite ends of said assembly of pump bowls; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable onto said shaft to their operative positions, means operating between said shaft and the hubs of said impellers for driving said impellers from said shaft, sleeves slidable on said shaft for spacing said impellers along said shaft, the foremost of said sleeves engaging said shoulder contiguous to the front end of said shaft and engaging the end of the hub of the impeller adjacent the front end of said assembly, and means for holding said sleeves concentric to said shaft, comprising means of interengagement between the hubs of said impellers and the ends of the sleeves in engagement therewith; securing means on the rear end of said shaft cooperating with said shoulder to clamp said sleeves and impellers in end to end relation; and securing means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from one of said fittings to the other for applying axial force to clamp said pump bowls together, said securing means being releasable so that said assembly of pump bowls and said impeller and sleeve assembly may be readily removed from said shaft and separated.

11. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation; inlet and outlet fittings arranged at the opposite ends of said assembly of pump bowls; a pump shaft extending through said assembly ,of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to' the front end of said assembly; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls, said impellers being slidable onto said shaft to their operative positions, means operating between said shaft and the hubs of said impellers for driving said impellers from said shaft, sleeves slidable on said shaft for spacing said impellers along said shaft, the foremost of said sleeves engaging said shoulder contiguous to the front end of said shaft and engaging the end of the hub of the impeller adjacent the front end-of said assembly and means of engagement between said shaft and the ends of said sleeves for holding said sleeves concentric to said shaft; securing means on the rear end of said shaft cooperating with said shoulder to clamp said sleeves and impellers in end to end relation; and means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from one of said fittings to the other for applying axial force to clamp said pump bowls together, said securing means being releasable so that said assembly of pump bowls and said impeller and sleeve assembly may be readily removed from said shaft and separated.

12. In a turbine pump of the character described capable of being quickly disassembled: an assembly of pump bowls disposed in end to end relation; inlet and outlet fittings arranged at the opposite ends of said assembly of pump bowls; a pump shaft extending through said assembly of bowls, said shaft having a shoulder contiguous to the front end of said assembly; an impeller and sleeve assembly on said shaft comprising pump impellers in said bowls,.said impellers being slidable onto said shaft and having splined bores there being splines on said shaft for engagement with said splined bores of said impellers, and sleeves slidable'on said shaft and over the said splines thereon to'their operative positions on said shaft, for spacing said impellers along said shaft, the foremost of said sleeves engaging said shoulder contiguous to the front end of said shaft and engaging the end of the hub of the impeller adjacent the front end of said assembly; securing means on the rear end of said shaft cooperating with said shoulder to clamp said sleeves and impellers in end to end relation; and securing means extending along the exterior of said assembly of pump bowls from one of said fittings to the other for applying axial force to clamp said pump bowls together, said securing means being releasable so that said assembly of pump bowls and said impeller and sleeve assembly may be readily removed from said shaft and separated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,179,802 Chapman Apr. 18, 1916 1,779,805 Dunwoodie Oct. 28, 1930 1,798,787 Conant Mar. 31, 1931 1,959,223 Swanson May 15, 1934 2,015,430 Matthews et a1. Sept. 24, 1935 2,221,798 Hollander Nov. 19, 1940 2,455,460 Zenner Dec. 7, 1948 2,652,271 Gaubatz Sept. 15, 1953 

